SHAYLA ALVEZ
harlem, new york
[8:32 p.m ]

shayla sighed when she finally finished braiding caro's hair—she was exhausted after coming home from work along with having to cook food for everyone, and on top of that having to braid caro's hair.

there were no words to express tiredness, she was drained. shayla didn't pass a day when she wasn't workin her ass off, it's crazy.

"thank you shay-shay." caro hugged Shayla's legs since she wasn't at all talk to reach her upper body. shayla smiled tiredly, "your welcome. now come on you needa take a bath."

shayla gave caro a bubble bath since that was the only way she would agree to get in the tub. afterwards she gave cake her onky bonnet, so her fresh new braids didn't messed but that was her only bonnet—but she still gave it to her anyways.

one thing about shayla was that she was always gon put everybody before her especially her sister, caro was one of the few people in her life she loved like this.

"don't stay up too late care." shayla told the smaller girl before walking out of the room.

now there was basically nothing to do since her mom had broke her phone and caro has her old ipad.  so to lass the time she decided to take out her own braids since they were starting to look old.

when she finished she decided to install the wig she was gifted by from her salon she works at.

shayla was doin all of this in silence, the inky sound was the rain that was pouring outside, hitting against the windows.

the wig that shayla had installed was a buss down side part, whe she was finally done with it she was satisfied for a bit before nitpicking the way it looked. "no—this is not sat down." she mumbled as she tugged on the wig.

now when it had settled in that she had jus took in all her time with installing the wig she didn't even have a bonnet to protect it from getting messed up. the only thing she could wish for was it to not get jumbled around in her sleep.

now shayla jus looked at her reflection in the mirror with a frown prominent on her face, she felt like she couldn't do anything correct. everything she tried to do it messed up—nothing ever goes her way.

the girl was on the verge of tears before she heard her window crack open which caused her to immediately stand up from her desk chair. "who the fuck.." she mumbled, picking up the closet thing to her which was her hair straightener.

shayla decided to stay quiet and jus watch as her window kept opening wider til it was open a whole way. now she felt like she was gonna have a panic attack, cause who the fuck comes into your house at this time in the day—through the window?

shayla gulped as she watched somebody hop into the window and that was when she let out the most intense scream it was sure to break glass.

"nigga what the fuck?" the deep voice laughed and now shayla was more scared—it was a man. well of course it was a man.. you would only find men climbing into a window of someone's apartment .

never women.

now shayla was more scared cause she lived in a apartment.. how the fuck would someone know what window of the apartment her rooms in. oh she definitely had a stalker.

"shayla you good? it's ya husbandddd." now it was all makin sense. of course it was david's delusional ass that crawled though her fuckin window.

the boy stood there with a wide ass smile on his face. he was in all black, black sweatpants a black hoodie with black cats. his curly hair was out and not in twist or the ponytail he would leave it in. he had one gold chain on but it was so simple that's what made it look good.

and shayla couldn't lie he looked too good.

"oh my god dd what the fuck." shayla groaned as she dropped the hair straightener and walking up to him. dd grinned, slippin his hands around her waist. "what you ain't wanna see me?"

shayla mugged the boy even tho she felt her heart jump into her throat she still had to keep the facade she ain't like him. "no you just broke down into my apartment—i thought i was gettin robbed dd."

dd pulled the girl into a hug—rocking them back in forth like he always did when he embraced her. "well ya husband is here na so you don't gotta worry bout shi."

"who's husband nigga? not mines." she pushed him away by the chest.

shayla pat down her hair. "deadass thought i was gon die dd." dd held in his laugh cause she actually sounded like she was gon cry. he walked behind her, wrapping his hands around her. "it's okayyyy. you'll live. and stop callin me dd—call me david. dd sound weird comin from you."

shayla rolled her eyes. "why would i call you david? that's ya real name?"

dd stayed silent which meant she was correct and she started to cheese so hard. "awww. david is such a cute name it fits you so badddd." she turned around to hold his cheeks, squishin them.

"not too much." dd said causing her to smile even harder cause he only started sayin that shit cause she did.

yes. she notices the little things.

"anyways what you here fore? more money? a check? a car? my soul?" shayla repeated the tiktok she's seen in the same voice which caused dd to burst out laughing.

shayla winded her eyes when she realized her mom is home so out of panic she puts a hand over dd's mouth—covering it. "do you want me to die? if ma momma hear you hear you not gon hear from me for a year."

dd frowned when shayla dropped her hand from his mouth. "don't say dat, no funny shi i don't wanna you ta die."

shayla felt her heart melt because dd was so soft-hearted honestly. he was a actual sweetheart. "not seriously david, now what you want from me?"

dd shrugged, sitting down on her pink fluffy sheets. "nah but you remember what i told yo rii? i came ta pick you up and we leavinnn." shayla furrows her eyebrows, sittin on her desk chair and spinning on it.

"what you mean?"

"likeee. we sneakin out gangsta. like out on somethin else cause honestly if you stay that all day.. shii." he stops his sentence before he says somethin bad.

shayla looked at the boy with her face scrunched up. she was literally in shorts and a tank top. "this is fineeee. i neva said i wanted to go anywhere wit you." she crossed her arms even though she was lyin straight outta ha ass.

dd looks at her with a cold stare that she had never seen like.. ever. to her he always looked at her with the softest expression and smile but now he jus looked like he wanted to do something to her.

"aight, okay, you got it." she held her hands up looking at him once again jus to see that he was completely smilin again.

bipolar.

shayla slipped into a pair of large sweatpants, not bothering to tell dd to look away since she was already in clothes already so there was barely a point. "aight it's rainin outside but we still gon get you outta this house feel me?"

"no nigga i don't feel you." she mumbled, pulling a hoodie over her head.

"mmcht watch ya mouth. but imma take you outttt. you can't stay in this shi forever na." he laughed, getting up from shayla's bed and wrapping his arms from behind around shayla's neck.

shayla was muggin the fuck outta him in the mirror. "you stay on me ma nigga," she laughed. she didn't wanna push him off but she was trying to manage her hair and he was in her way.

dd was never the type to get sensitive fast or anything like that but with shayla it was like whenever he feels like he was doin too much he feels clingy. dd moved away from the girl and went back on her bed, pulling out his phone to occupy himself with.

shayla let out a relieved sigh before she started to feel bad.

she looked at him through her own mirror and saw that he left her alone. like no she never asked him to leave her alone.

shayla was always the one to apologize first, she didn't hold pride like that she jus let things go and forgive. but now she felt bad and wanted him to forgive her fast because honestly dd bein mad at her don't feel good.

when shayla finished with her hair she stalled a bit. looking around her room like she hasn't been in there all day.

before she finally dropped her facade and walked over to dd. "what's wrong?" she looked at him before holding his hand and playing with it.

dd puts his phone down—this was the first time that when somethin so inconvenient happens shayla was ready to solve the problem so fast. it was hard for him to keep the smile that wanted to make its way on his face.

"what? i'm not nd you seem bothered so," he shrugged but it was obvious he wanted to be all over her.

"what? i'm not bothered i promise." she locks there fingers together with a a soft smile on her face. "you not mad?"

shayla titled her head at the boy. "no why would i be mad? it's cute that you always on meee," behind the whole wall that shayla had built to make it seem like she didn't like dd like that it was obvious to herself that she honestly liked his attention.

due to the fact that she never gets attention from home or anything like that dd always make up for it, so she's lowkey hurt when she's not the center of attention in his eyes she feels needy.

"aight ma. but c'mon we gon go na." he stands up, pulling shayla up but she furrows her eyebrows.

"oh you was being serious? david what the fuck.." she mumbles, tugging on his hoodie sleeve. dd smiles, pulling her back behind her, "yeah you gon do some badddddd. gon sneak out like a bad lil girl mhm."

shayla silently prays that neither caro or her mom enters her room tonight, "god forgive me fo my sins."

shayla climbs out her window and she had immediately forgotten she was in a apartment so when she landed on a railing that was filled with steps she almost screamed.

"oh my fuckin god dd i thought i was gon fall." shayla says in a hushed whisper, putting a hand over her mouth.

her apartment wasn't even that tall but it was 9 pm and it was dark out, along with the rain pouring. "oh hell no nigga it's raining i'm not goin nowhere," shayla turned around to back out but dd was standin right behind her.

"what? you gon come wit me." he sent her a flashy smile, walking down the stairs that led to the way he came up to her apartment.

"dd! i'm not walkin here alone." she yelled lowly which caused dd to walk back to her—wrapping his hands around her shoulder as they walked down.

shayla was terrified she never did any of this shit. she was always on top of her shit now she was sneaking out of her apartment in the rain.

"daviddd. ion kno if i wanna keep goin bro this is scary." she frowned when they finally got all away down to the bottom, now she could only look up to where she was.

dd laughs at her nervousness while shayla pouted cause no way he found her bein scared amusing. "not ya bro but you gon be aight yaya."

shayla huffed, putting her hoodie over her head. "it's literally raining who said i wanted ta do this shi anyways."

dd shrugged. "me. and you loveeeeeee me. right?" shayla side eyed him. "love is a strong word.."

dd pushed the girl away actin all dramatic. "you hate me. okay you hate me. okay." he rolled his eyes looking away from shayla who was literally jogging behind him.

"dd if you don't stop walkin so fuckin fast. where tf we goin cause it's way too late fo me to go do anything productive."

dd grabbed the girl back and pulled her to his side—shoving her head into his chest. shayla swore that she almost melted right then and there cause could this boy get any better?

"we goin toooo. get ice cream, ya like ice cream my heart?" he looked down at shayla who looked so small compared to him. she shrugged, "i hate chocolate that shit is ass."

dd gasped. "naaa you don't like chocolate? so what you eat when you get ice cream?"

shayla thought for a second. she didn't really eat ice cream like that anyway but when she got the chance she was gon eat that fuckin ice cream up. "i like cookies and cream."

dd scrunched his face up. "oh you weirdddd. but na we gon get whatever you want it don't matter,"

while they were walking to the ice cream shop shayla's heart immediately drops because she ain't even come with her wallet and even if she did she barely had enough money. shayla stops in her tracks when they get in front of the ice cream shop, "uhh—ion got money to pay."

shayla wasn't used at all to anyone doin her a favor or anything cause she was always the person that got passed around to do favors and shi like that so she never got to feel treated.

dd furrows his eyebrows because he was honestly confused. "what?"

shayla pulled away from the boy—from that tone she felt like he was mad at her and was gonna lash out or something. that's how she got treated so it made her feel exactly like that.

"you don't gotta get me anythin i'm sorry." she mumbled cause she felt embarrassed now. this is why she can never have nice things cause nothin ever goes her way.

dd let's put a soft laugh before pulling shayla into tight hug. shayla was immediately engrossed in the slight smell of cologne that he wore and it smelled so good. the thing was he never drowned his whole body in cologne, it was subtle like but it wasn't somethin you'll miss.

"you good mi amor, you ain't think i was gon pay fa you?" he picked up the back of her head to make her make eye contact.

she looked so perfect in his eyes.

"lemme tell you sum now, when you wit me you not gon worry a day in ya life baby."

shayla only looks at dd with heart eyes causeee the way he's talkin is makin her feel a certain type of way. "you're so beautiful ma, ya know dat? you perfect."

shayla cheeses so hard she feels like her mouth is gon fall off cause the way dd talks, speaks, acts, to shayla it makes her feel like the perfect girl in the world. in her eyes she isn't even close to perfect but if dd keeps sayin she is—she might believe him on the way.

so they stand in front of the ice cream store that was barely open—in the fuckin rainnn, starin at each other like they're the only ones there.

"did i tell you how pretty you are?" dd asks her again, liftin her chin up a bit.

shayla laughs softly. "yeah you jus did like 4 times." dd shrugs. "well imma remind you of it again, you so fucking beautiful."

"thank you," shayla smiles—wrapping her arms around his neck.

the two closed their eyes, they were so close until the thunderstorm started thundering. "omg. nah we goin inside i can't do this shit, i'm sorry." shayla pulls away, scared. there was nothin the girl hated more than thunder.

dd purses his lips and nodded walkin inside of the doors of the ice cream stop. shayla trailed behind him with a big ass frown on her face.

this is what she means by nothin ever goes in her way.

F SPEAKS 🫶🏾

NOTE— chile this so short 🙅🏾‍♀️🙅🏾‍♀️. i'm sorryyyy but thoughts? what book y'all want updated or do y'all want a new one chil 😝😝. anyways bye fia loves uuu 💗💗.